


Maybe When Pigs Fly

by Whatthef0ucault



Series: 42 Bedrooms, 19 Bathrooms, A Whole City Square... [1]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, BDSM, Canon-Typical Violence, Consensual, Consensual Kink, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Dom!Luther, Dom/sub, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Luther Hargreeves Has a Human Body, M/M, Multi, Non-Sexual Submission, Post-Apocalypse, Pseudo-Incest, Restraints, Sub!Diego, Submissive Diego Hargreeves, Subspace, Top Luther Hargreeves, Touching, Violence, but not necessary, polyamorous vibes, way post apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2020-08-13 09:49:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20172250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whatthef0ucault/pseuds/Whatthef0ucault
Summary: "Good-" Diego panted with a soft laugh as Luther came to try to tower over him "-to see you still know better than to hold back." The challenge was deliberate, old, a signal of sorts between them. Words were difficult for both of them in their prospective ways with Diego's stuttering and Luther's inability for superfluous expression, so they both had learned a new sort of language over the years that only they spoke. It was dependent upon repetition, symbolism, specific looks, and the small amount of necessary words sprinkled here and there. Of all of it, the words held the most weight and were kept as the most binding.





	Maybe When Pigs Fly

* * *

Forty-two bedrooms, nineteen bathrooms, a whole city square of a house, and there wasn't a soul within seven rooms of separation to hear Luther's heavy torso collide with the far wall. In the doorway of one of the unused, rarely stumbled upon bedrooms tucked into some corner of the house stood Diego huffing a few breaths from the effort. Brown eyes darkened with something close to malevolence but not quite so mean. The shorter man kicked the door behind him shut without taking his gaze off of the taller.

Luther's lighter eyes stared back at him, patient, waiting, like they so often were.They had both found themselves on this far end of the mansion after separating in anger in front of the others after a small scuffle. Neither had said a word, not since they had gotten into another argument about the best course of action to take while all the siblings minus Vanya had tried to recoup after another failed attempt to control her powers. At the very least, Diego had won a long time ago, and Luther had learned in the hardest way, that locking her up like their awful adoptive father would have done was never going to be the right answer.

Diego was the first to move to close the gap, as he so often was. He came at Luther all fire with his hands ready to fight, and Luther easily turned out of the way for his large size and let Diego hit the wall he had just been leaned against. Grabbing one of those gloved hands and pulling it between his chest and the other's back, number one had number two pinned face first to the wall.

"Are you going to calm down?" Luther's low, gruff voice was warm against Diego's ear and he ignored the small shiver that went down his neck in favor of a matched but scathing reply.

"Fuck you."

It was easy to push back and maneuver his body to free his arm with the extensive training that both he and Luther had been forced to endure. They moved together more like music than like enemies, with Diego's slightly faster and agile movements being complimented by Luther's consistent, deliberate rhythm like a melody played over a bass line. It made sense to little to no one outside of each other like many other things about them did. Diego hadn't told a soul about the additional hours, days, even months of training that their father had orchestrated between just the two of them, and knew Luther hadn't as well. There was really no reason to, given how tumultuous their relationship had always been, especially in front of the others. How would they have ever believed that Reginald had seen and created a dependency between them to strengthen their bond as leaders for their family, and as a fail-safe given their dangerous lifestyles if one were to fall?

Here, they started to play, with Diego's leg coming around and meeting Luther's abdomen with a grunt from the other, and Luther's hands swinging and catching the leather clad chest. Sometimes, it was like they both knew what the other was thinking when blows would be missed and returned, and then eventually, someone would get the upper hand. This time, it was Diego with his glove covered fist meeting the underside of Luther's chin and creating a bit of separation. It pulled a bit of a satisfied smirk from number two, while number one groaned with the pain that came along with it and lit that little flame in his gut that the other was always so keen to expose. Face hardening, a little bit of that patience fading, Luther shoved Diego with more strength into the adjacent wall. It was Diego's turn to make a strained sound in his throat as pain licked over the back of his head and dizzied him for a second. 

"Good-" Diego panted with a soft laugh as Luther came to try to tower over him "-to see you still know better than to hold back." The challenge was deliberate, old, a signal of sorts between them. Words were difficult for both of them in their prospective ways with Diego's stuttering and Luther's inability for superfluous expression in the moment, so they both had learned a new sort of language over the years that only they spoke. It was dependent upon repetition, symbolism, specific looks, and the small amount of necessary words sprinkled here and there. Of all of it, the words held the most weight and were kept as the most binding. 

"Shut up," Luther responded bluntly, always the less mouthy of the two of them at this point. He would have been a complete idiot to not have noticed the inferiority complex Diego held against him like it was his fault. The constant fight about who should be the 'true' leader, who had the better decisions, who was more competent had been planted and exploited by their father in a very deliberate way. It was difficult to understand from within their relationship, but hidden away in some leather bound journal somewhere were those notes: 'competition feeds drive for success', 'restlessness prevents stagnation', 'insurance against failure, survival of the family', 'number two will never give up, number one will never become complacent', and so on. Of course, the old man couldn't have predicted what this relationship would become long into adulthood and after his death. 

Another shove and Diego was ducking away to regroup and the dance continued between them. A blocked punch, ducked round house kick, side stepped and repeated. The first unspoken rule was that both of their powers were off limits at this stage. The hatred between them was colored with a mutual respect that was necessary to keep things somewhat orderly. A long time ago, Luther had to put trust in Diego that he wouldn't just decide to end him with a flick of his wrist, and Diego had to believe that Luther wouldn't just crush his whole body in if he got a good enough hold. 

Sweat stared to trickle down Diego's forehead, Luther's breath panting, and gloved hands caught and grasped at cloth that tore at the neck and pulled a frustrated growl from the latter. 

"Just stop! This is ridiculous!" Diego's smirk widened as he finally found some evidence that he was getting under Luther's skin. Every time it happened, a little immature thrill was planted in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't stop. He just wanted it to build and build, though to what end, Diego couldn't be quite sure in this state of mind where his tightly wound disposition was just starting to unravel. If Luther really wanted him to stop, he could. Part of that fail-safe was knowing that Luther could ultimately hold Diego down, crossing the line of that first rule, and utter a different word, a signal word conditioned while sparing and learning. If he were to do that, as he has in the past, some programmed mental shift would click and Diego would suddenly feel back in control of himself if not a little bit humbled.

"Or what? What are you going to do, big man?" Diego postured with a smile, initiating the second challenge. Luther wanted to wipe that smile off that smug face, and his long fingers wrapped around nimble wrists still clutching to him. Using newfound momentum, he half threw Diego into the wall again and pinned his hands high above his head. This time it was Diego's turn to growl through gritted teeth with his head turned away, immediately struggling to try to get free. He shot a venomous look up at Luther who had that stupidly patient expression back on. His heartbeat started to quicken, and he was so livid that Luther could probably feel it with how impossibly close they were. His external persona wouldn't have wanted this, but the way small trickles of pleasure and calm started to run down his spine told him that the small corner of his head that he kept tucked all the way down did. The look they shared now was long, deliberate, enough time to let Luther read past Diego's furious face and struggling limbs into those eyes, and to give the smaller man the chance to utter that word. When he didn't, number one knew that they had now crossed another line. 

"Calm down," Luther finally uttered lowly, warning. If he were being honest, he needed this just as much as the spitfire he was leaned against. Being able to bring Diego's seemingly never ending anger into a direction, towards a target, and then soothed over served a distinct purpose for the leader. This was something separate from his usual responsibilities, it was personalized, individual, made him feel like more than just the enabling 'favorite' son, but like he was actually doing something good for someone else on his own terms. 

"No, get off! Get off of me-" Diego yelled louder, straining and using more energy than before to get out of the hold. However, this time, Luther's hands didn't let go and they both ended up on the floor with Luther still pinning his hands over his head. That anger flashed hot inside both of them, but hotter in Diego as he tried to twist away with more rage filled words and expletives leaving his mouth with the other's weight on top of him. He hated it, absolutely hated it that Luther was winning this time (like he very often did) and that he was very close to breaking. "I hate you! I hate you so fucking much!"

Luther's hands finally let go, and for a moment Diego believed he might still be able to somehow overpower the other. His breath was quick, eyes wide in the struggle to get out from under the heavy weight. Diego's momentary hope was ruined by the sound of buckles clinking and straps shifting, the straps he had been wearing to holster his throwing knives. The sudden realization caused Diego to instinctively try to reach for one desperately at the same moment his other hand and leg were pulled back behind him and tied together.

In a flash, his free hand found familiar, safe, cool metal and the panic in his head was telling him to throw it, not to seriously hurt Luther but to get the edge up again somehow, to stop this even though a trickle of calm had started to spread from the base of his spine now and into his limbs. Pulling his hand back to throw, a larger hand grasped his wrist again harsher than before and smashed it back against the ground to force Diego to let go.

Within a matter of seconds, Luther had this hand pulled back too and tied to his other limbs with his own harness. It was _infuriating_, and _humiliating_, and all he could do for a moment was yell in pure frustration and outrage. Then, that hot pool in his stomach seemed to give way to the levy of self-control, and he broke; He dropped.

Instead of screaming in anger, Diego went quiet with his eyes scrunched shut and his breath panting hot against the cool floor. His body shimmied and turned to lay on his side in a sad attempt to curl into himself impossibly. Number two started to tremble all over. He pulled at his wrists and ankles and the softest groan caught in his throat at the resistance.

Number one picked up the knife they'd just struggled over, and took great care to remove the other knives still in their pockets in the straps, then went over to delicately lay them out on a nearby dresser. Now that they had entered this phase, he knew he could take his time, that it was better to draw this out as long as they could both stand it. Luther hadn't had a word or a concept to put to this deeper part of their relationship for years, not until hand written notes and book titles had been slipped under his bedroom door after all of the siblings had come back together following their father's death. It wasn't hard to guess who the jagged scrawl had belonged to. It was good for him to start educating himself about things that he had been sheltered from (or he had sheltered himself from) while staying behind all these years, and he was internally grateful to the more experienced (he was assuming) man.

He turned back and watched Diego on the floor, circling him slowly. Blue eyes carded over that strong body made helpless and something about it made Luther feel heat spread over his chest and neck. It was almost too much, too exposed, seeing this new side to the other. Diego's skin tight pants were also straining against his prominent arousal, though that had nothing to do with it. He had learned that sometimes that happened from the pure stimulation. 

The room was so quiet that Diego had almost forgotten Luther was there. Number two was still being pulled down by the cascades of sensations that he was guessing were akin to 'sub-space'. Reading about it, even seeing it happen in another was nothing like being in a body experiencing it. Diego had wanted this for such a long time, but had no idea how to ask for it, obtain it, or let himself have it. Luther had been the only one who could control him in this very specific way (Klaus had his own equally as valid but different ways). His face finally relaxed, and with that relaxation came a few silent tears streaming out of his eyes and his panting melded into soft whimpers. He bit his lip trying to hide them, but there was really no point. All he knew was he couldn't look at Luther, not yet. He was afraid it would break this moment like so many things in their lives had, be it Vanya trying to get between them during a verbal fight, Ben walking in during a private moment of silent glaring at each other, or Allison stealing Luther's attention away, or Klaus with Diego's. Those last two special attentions had grown more in this latest phase of their lives, but this was the last place to be explored, so to speak, the last unknown. 

Luther moved to kneel down next to the shaky heap and ran fingertips over Diego's wet cheek with such gentleness that the tenderness made Diego flinch. Number one gave a soft shush and continued to slowly caress the skin. 

"Look at me." The deep voice matched the little touches, and after a long hesitation, dark eyes finally complied. They blinked open into focus, and looked up at him so open, so vulnerable, and so scared. Luther's throat constricted, realizing just how much trust was being exchanged here. He had no idea what he was doing, to be completely honest, but he felt he would just go with what felt natural. He could read all the books and still not know what specifically Diego needed from him, but he at least knew how to be safe about it. "You remember the safe word?" 

Diego couldn't speak, not with how his body was already feeling shaky to his bones let alone his words. He nodded in response and then broke that eye contact for a moment as he tried to focus instead on the sensation of skin on skin contact. That warmth traveled down and under his chin, and the smallest pressure lifted his head up making him look up again at the other. He saw concern on the other's face, and instead of immediately assuming it was patronizing in origin, Diego could see that it was genuine. Instead of looking away this time, he ever so carefully, nervously, pressed his face into that larger hand and sighed softly as warmth ran over those nerves clawing at his throat. This pulled a soft smile from the normally so serious number one, and it made number two feel happy to have been the reason for it. 

Luther reached his other hand to cup the other side of Diego's face now, and it was a bit heartbreaking how Diego simply melted. He had to be so careful with his hands, reminding him of when he would hold Allison's face like this as well and the conscious effort he made to not let his super strength slip. He probably didn't need to actively think about it by this point in his life, but it made him feel more in control and less like a monster. 

"Is this nice?" Luther asked, knowing the answer was obvious but also needing to hear the confirmation from Diego specifically to know he was reading all of this correctly. The soft, stammered affirmation he got in response pulled a sigh of relief from his large torso. He thought for a long moment, looking over the smaller man again to see how best to manuover him. His eyes trailed to the bed, and then he looked back down. "I'm going to lift you up onto the bed." 

Luther's words took a moment to register because everything just felt so damn _good_. Diego couldn't remember the last time he felt this calm, contained, free. His body felt heavy and light at once, like he was laying on a surface of water. The sensation only increased as he felt weightless with Luther's arms coming under his to pull him close and lift him up. Diego's head lolled into a warm collarbone and he breathed in the unfamiliar scent of Luther. He didn't smell like Klaus. Instead of tea spices and wet earth, it was more dark wood and ginger. 

Number one laid number two boneless over the white sheets, leaning with it so as to let some of his own weight rest on him in the shift of gravity. It pulled another quiet, happy sound that Luther would have missed if his attention wasn't so solely focused. The house could have been burning down, there could have been another break in, Vanya could have another episode and he would not have noticed. It was nice to be able to play at his own pace, finally, instead of being rushed around by the others, particularly Diego. Planning required careful thought, which required time. Instead of rushing to figure out what he was going to do next, Luther thought about it at a snails pace, and Diego, for once, didn't seem to protest. 

He moved off of the other after a few minutes, and Diego bit on his lip to hold back a sad sound that wanted to escape from the loss of the weight. Pupil-blown eyes looked to the other, and were met with reassuring blues and large hands running over his clothing. Finally, Luther spoke again. 

"I'm-....going to take your clothes off." It was the first hesitation he let slip, because at a higher level than they were both functioning at this moment, this was still _weird_. However, Luther knew that he wanted to keep pulling these sounds from Diego, and to make him let go of that lip he still kept trapped shut. The need coming off of the smaller man was palpable, and he needed to fulfill it. Maybe it was some twisted sort of guilt for all of the shit he put Diego through over the years by going along with what their father wanted, or maybe it was just his own desire to share something positive with the other instead of animosity and violence. 

Diego paused as well, and thought for a moment if he really wanted to do this. They'd never crossed this line before, not beyond restraint and control, and yet his clothes felt stifling and prickling all of a sudden, like he was finally aware of how much of his skin was covered and grazing the materials constantly. He finally gave a small nod to show Luther that it was okay even though that nervousness came back in the pit of his stomach. 

Luther's hands were slightly shaky now as he reached for the fabric of Diego's blue and black sweater. Pressing it up, his thumbs felt hot skin and Diego's muscles quiver at the contact. It pulled another smile from number one, this time a bit more cocky and satisfied with a small thrill of his own. This also felt a bit foreign to Luther, but he didn't question it. It took some careful maneuvering over the other's head and restrained arms, but the piece of clothing was finally pooled at the restraints, and Luther's eyes widened a bit at the discovery of a...nipple piercing? 

"When did that happen?" He asked a bit dumbly followed by an uncontrollable small snicker a moment later. Diego looked confused for a moment before the delay clicked again and he looked down to see said jewelry. It pulled a soft laugh from him with a hint of pink peaking through his upper chest. "Shut up....a while ago, okay?" 

"You, uh....you're really-"

"Shut. up." Diego repeated, though there was a smile on his face still, and this felt nice. This felt almost normal, even though it was the farthest thing from it. Luther saw siblings that teased each other on tv shows and were met with harmless verbal protests and not knives to the wall near their head. Something about it and Diego's embarrassed smile made the taller lean down and kiss his cheek ever so carefully, a sweet gesture. It only seemed to make that blushing a little bit worse, but no other protest from Diego. 

Luther was going to move to take the pants off next, his eyes falling over the other's crotch for a moment again, before he stopped and stood up instead. He knew he was in charge and that the power differential was a key part of this, but he didn't feel it was right to not also shed his own shirt. Diego's eyes watched him thoughtfully and curious, and trailed over the planes of his pale, muscular torso and arms. Luther was much bigger comparatively, but he could tell that Diego worked hard for the physique he had while Luther didn't have to do anything. He supposed that was another root of the jealousy. 

To distract himself from feeling suddenly exposed himself, he kneeled down next to the bed again to inspect the other's ties. Those were going to get in the way. 

"I'm going to retie you how I want you." There was a bit of a warning tone in these words, not threatening but reminding, and Diego's throat visibly swallowed before he lowered his gaze to show his submission. Luther leaned over to reach around and undo the buckles and knots that were hastily made earlier. He freed the sweater fully, and then pulled his arms around to the front to tie his hands together more comfortably while inspecting their color and possible wounding. Diego noticed the carefulness, the sincere care that Luther took with him and he was beginning to see what Allison saw in him. He wasn't going to go falling in love with him any time soon, but he could catch glimpses of a very loving, sweet, and safe man.

In a few more drawn out minutes of silence, awkward maneuvers, and shedding of clothing down to underwear, Luther had finally achieved the goal he had in mind the moment he had Diego pinned. Luther was sat up against the headboard with Diego curled in his lap with his hands and feet tied more comfortably in the front. Number two's skin was pressed all over his own, milk and honey. He took a moment to admire the difference and think about other less obvious or tangible examples between them. He thought about how when pulled towards each other rather than forced apart or separated, they could actually create something breathtaking, _together_. 

Luther lifted Diego's arms over his head to pull his face in even closer, and Diego accepted wordlessly by pressing into the crook of Luther's neck. 

There was a soft sigh of relief that left number one as he ran his large hands all over number two, firm pressure but not too firm. That feeling of power became heady and relaxing to Luther as Diego was so far gone in his arms. He experimented with different places on the unfamiliar expanse of skin, taking note of how Diego responded to each. Number two was whimpering, giving little sighs, and soft moans that only could be heard because he was so _close_ to the other. Diego was still mentally weightless, but instead of floating he was being carried under the surface along a gentle current so he was fully submerged in its warmth and not in control of anything. Had he been more aware, more in his normal headspace, he wouldn't have ever admitted or showed any sign of wanting or needing this due to his pride and fucked up issues with the larger man. He had thought about this, though. Sometimes, when everything was quiet and he was feeling so empty, he thought about it when the touch-starved part of his head ached with need. He thought about it and sought it out with Klaus in their very specific and important ways, but there always seemed to be some kind of unfinished buisness here with Luther, and Klaus had understood. He hoped, and assumed, that Allison did too. 

"How are you?" Luther's voice came through and washed over him, and he couldn't remember the last time Luther had ever asked him that specific question. It made something in him ache in a different way, made his stomach clench and tears start to prickle in the back of his eyes once again. He didn't want to answer, didn't want to stumble over the words into the bottom of this hole they both were tentatively climbing in. "Hm? Come on, tell me." 

"G-g-ood-" Diego pushed out the word quickly with the soft prompting so he couldn't double down. "-...very g-ood." It hurt to let these final pieces of himself fall away, especially to Luther.

Luther ran his fingertips lightly over Diego's skin now, watching the goosebumps formed in their wake and the slight tremor of hypersensitive nerves. Both of them realized in that moment just how touch-starved they both were, and the haunting echo that emptiness and neglect left in its wake over many years. It was like they were both standing on the edge of a cliff looking into the darkness together instead of trying to throw the other off. 

"Good." Luther echoed back in a whisper to Diego, and he closed his eyes with wet streaks following that he hadn't been aware of before. Diego's breath hitched more audibly at that, at knowing Luther truly did care and truly _saw_ him, and at whatever other hurts he hadn't named yet spilling over. Luther felt the warm wetness trail down his neck and he only pressed his face into that dark hair to get just the smallest bit closer, his hands still working over the other's skin like if he stopped then the apocalypse might really return swiftly and unrelenting. Through that shared desperation number one and number two arrived at a new destination; a catharsis. 

* * *

The first hour or two without a brooding Diego or Luther reappearing from their little quarrel wasn't out of the ordinary. When those hours turned to three or four, Allison started to get worried. After asking the other siblings (minus Vanya whom was sleeping off another hard training day), Klaus offered to help her find the two virile men. They went to each of their usual spots in the house, then the unusual spots, they even went to Diego's long abandoned boiler-room apartment with no luck. It wasn't normal for Klaus to be worried like this, the feeling felt strange and uncomfortable under his skin. However, after another hour of searching it aided in awakening his memories of when he was young and Diego and him would go hide in one of the many excess bedrooms of the large house. 

He dragged Allison down the various halls, hoping like hell this would work because otherwise they would really be in trouble (Diego was the one with this particular skill set after all). After getting lost and coming across their eyeliner drawn make shift arrows on the floors or walls multiple times, Allison finally noticed a closed door at the end of a side hall with the light on. 

"I don't know how much longer we can keep-" Allison shushed a rambley Klaus and motioned over to said door. Creeping down the hall ever so carefully, not sure what they were going to find, they finally reached the door and pressed their ears to it to listen in. Silence ensued, with the faintest sound of....snoring? 

"What the-?" Allison covered Klaus' mouth with her hand this time until he was quieted again, and then finally, slowly, opened the door. 

Before them were two almost naked, muscular, grown men snuggled in as close as possible and fast asleep on the bed. Both Klaus and Allison's mouths fell open for a moment before they looked at each other and then back at the scene. 

"Did you know? I knew, kind of, Diego mentioned something cryptically about 'teaching Luther a lesson' and how that was 'between them' but it actually happened, I guess-" Klaus whispered very quietly, and Allison rolled her eyes fondly shaking her head. She then purposefully nodded her head at Klaus and whispered even quieter "Yes, I knew. Come on, I think we all knew. Help me...." She pressed a finger over her lips then in signal, and a soft nod in response followed from Klaus. 

Allison took care with her steps and movements, and eventually made it to the bed with her slightly more noisy sibling following behind her. She and Klaus each took their clothes and folded them neatly (on Allison's part) and set them next to Diego's knives on the dresser. She then had Klaus help her pull up the blanket that was crumpled at the foot of the bed over the pair of sleeping bodies. Number three had to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing at the surprised and then satisfied expression on number four's face when he saw Diego's ties on his feet and hands.They both then quite literally tip-toed out of the room and shut the door soundlessly behind them. 

Klaus counted 10 bare-foot paces away from the door and down an adjacent hall with Allison before he smiled widely and held out his hand while wiggling his fingers.

"I told you Diego was a switch and submissive for Luther." 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah....," Allison said with another fond roll of her eyes as she handed over a twenty dollar bill. "I'm just saying, maybe one day we'll see the reverse and you'll see what I meant about Luther's soft side." 

"Maybe....when pigs fly." 

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! I decided to do something a little different than I normally do, but I found Luther and Diego's dynamic too interesting not to explore. I also like to see non-sexual dynamics represented sometimes. Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> Please feel free to follow me on [tumblr](https://letsbakethatcake.tumblr.com/)!


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